This invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for assembling cooking appliances, and, more particularly, to rack slides for self clean ovens.
At least some known ovens includes multiple heating elements that are used for multiple operations, such as, for instance, baking, broiling, and self-cleaning. Substances baked or broiled inside an oven cavity may generate materials, such as, for example, grease, which over time becomes undesirably deposited within the oven cavity and/or any apparatuses used within the oven cavity such as, for example, oven racks. Operating the self-cleaning function of the oven facilitates removing such deposited materials.
Ovens typically include at least one rack within the oven cavity to support items being cooked by the oven. In at least some known ovens, the oven rack is supported by, and is in direct contact with a porcelain oven rib. The pull-out forces required for these known oven racks are often greater than ten pounds of force. As such, at least some known ovens include rack slides to facilitate increasing the overall ease of sliding the oven racks into and/or out of the oven cavity. These known rack slides utilize an oil or grease based lubricant to facilitate the sliding action of the rack slides.
However, cleaning these ovens having known rack slides can be problematic. Specifically, due to the high temperatures associated with an oven in a self clean mode of operation, the known rack slides have a reduction in lubricity after the oven is operated in the self clean mode of operation. More specifically, oxidation under the high temperatures causes the lubrication to deteriorate and/or disappear. As such, the known rack slides must be removed prior to operating the self clean mode of operation in the oven. The rack slides do not allow a self-cleaning mode of operation without removal of the rack slides, and failure to remove the rack slides from the oven cavity prior to the self-cleaning mode may result in damage to the rack slides. Having to remove the rack slides from the oven cavity prior to the self-cleaning mode may result in annoyance to the user.